Share of babies born with a low birthweight in Namibia
Namibia: Share of babies born with a low birthweight was 15.6% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of babies born with a low birthweight in Namibia, 2000–2020
Source: UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of births.
Analysis
Namibia recorded 15.6% for share of babies born with a low birthweight in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of babies born with a low birthweight in Namibia peaked at 16.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 15.6%, in 2020.
That places Namibia 27th out of 157 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.3% | 16.1% | 16.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.8% | 15.6% | 16.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.6% | 15.6% | 15.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
- 24 Central African Republic 16.4% compare
- 25 Trinidad and Tobago 16.3% compare
- 26 St. Lucia 16.3% compare
- 28 Malawi 15.6% compare
- 29 Angola 15.5% compare
- 30 Bahamas, The 15.4% compare
More population data for Namibia
- World population growth 0.1% (2100)
- Population density 7.16 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 357,079 people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.1% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 3.21 births per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 3.21 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 5,258 people (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 3.21 births per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Share of people who are religious 3.21 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate accounting for survival until childbearing age 3.03 children per women (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of babies born with a low birthweight in Namibia?
- Share of babies born with a low birthweight in Namibia was 15.6% in 2020, according to UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of babies born with a low birthweight recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 16.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of babies born with a low birthweight recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.6% in 2020.
- How does Namibia rank for share of babies born with a low birthweight?
- Namibia ranks 27th out of 157 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of babies born with a low birthweight rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of babies born with a low birthweight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated percentage of newborn babies that weigh under 2.5kg. These babies are more likely to suffer poor health and stunted growth.